Amazing Romances Sauteed Vegetables

This sauteed vegetable dish is appropriately named because of the cool little vegetable I found and used in it.  The vegetable is called, Romances Cauliflower,  it's basically a mix or hybrid of two cruciferous vegetables; broccoli and cauliflower.  This hybrid vegetable dates back to the sixteenth century and is very aesthetically pleasing to the eye.  It also holds up well when sauteed and has a slight sweet taste.  In this dish I also used parsley root, kale stems and dark purple onion which really was a wonderful combination of flavors.  Then I used one of the kids favorite vegan/gluten free Indian Simmer Sauce which added a warm tropical coconut and tamarind flavor on such a COLD night. 
If you can't make this dish exactly you should at least try the sauces I have pictured at the bottom of this post.  They truly make dinner a breeze.  

The Romances Cauliflower adds so much texture to the plate...can you see them?

 Ingredients:

1 head of Romances Cauliflower, stem removed

4 parsley roots, peeled and cut into chunks

1/2 purple onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 head of broccoli, stem removed

1/2 cup kale stems, chopped

1/4 cup Olive oil

1/2 jar of Goan Coconut Indian Simmer Sauce, pictured below

1/2 cup water

Method:

Start by sauteing onion, broccoli, red pepper, parsley root in olive oil, add the remaining vegetables and saute until almost done.  Then add the Indian Simmer Sauce and water and continue until vegetables are cooked to your liking.  Serve at once!  This fed 3 of us, so you might just add more vegetables if you have four people. Enjoy!

Here is the cool little Romances Cauliflower

I used the Goan Coconut Sauce, but these two are my favorite!

The Parsley Root

ENJOY!

  

Cherry Vanilla Loven Smoothie Bowl

  This is for my workout friend... she knows who she is!  A little Valentine's Loven for her, of course I ate it... but my heart was in the right place.  The fun thing about smoothie bowls is you really can have fun decorating them up before serving.  Not to mention you can add all kinds of healthy toppings.  In this smoothie bowl I used organic frozen Tart Cherries!  Here are some benefits you most likely didn't know was hiding in these tasty tart little things.

1) Cherries battle belly fat:  In a study done on animals they noticed when they were fed Tart Cherries they had a significant lower belly fat!  Maybe that's why I like them...lol!

2) Cherries combat post-workout soreness:  Studies show 1 1/2 cups of Tart Cherries or 1 cup Tart Cherry juice significantly reduces muscle soreness.  Drink up workout buddies!

3) Cherries reduce stroke risk: Researchers from the University of Michigan Health System found that Tart Cherries provide cardiovascular benefits equal to some medications. 

Cherry Loven

 Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups frozen organic tart cherries

1 cup organic tart cherry juice

1 frozen banana

2 kale capsules, empties of there content

6-10 drops vanilla stevia drops

2 tablespoons Spectrum Warrior Vitality Blend (Chia, Maca & Cacao Nibs) Pictured below

drizzle of Barlean's Swirl (your flavor choice)

Method:

Blend cherries, cherry juice, banana, stevia, kale capsules in a blender on high.

Divide the Spectrum Warrior blend evenly in each corner or around the edge, cut out Banana hearts or whatever your choice is and drizzle Barlean's Swirl over top.  Serve!

YUM!  My first bite!

Here is the Warrior Vitality Blend I talked about above!

Dig In!

 

Yes... I downed this today!

 

 

 

Beautiful Beet Juice

If you live in Colorado you hear about the famous Rocky Mountain Cantaloupe's this time of year!  The very first one I bought wasn't very good but this last one is delicious!  I decided to make a smoothie and was in the kitchen wondering what to use.  I had 4 beets that needed to be used up so I thought I'd make a smoothie using them.  This beverage is super yummy because of the sweetness of the cantaloupe I think.  Try it at home and let me know how yours turned out:)

     4 small beets, cut up

1 1/2 cups diced Rocky Mountain Cantaloupe

2 carrots, diced

1 tablespoon Flax Oil (Plain)

1/4 cup water

Place all ingredients in a Vita mix and blend until smooth.  Enjoy!

Summer Lunch (Sommar Lunch)

One of my favorite things to eat in the summer time is fresh tomatoes.  Today with the sun and heat, tomatoes sounded SO good.  So here is a quick little lunch I put together and I can make the boys a Hamburger and put this on top for them and they LOVE it.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients:

3 small fresh tomatoes, cut to desired size

1/2  Avocado, diced 

1/2 cup diced Mozzarella Cheese (Fresh)

1 Tablespoon minced fresh basil

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsly

1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar 

Top with more basil and Parsley flowers

Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar used

Put First three ingredients in a bowl stir, add the rest of the ingredients and stir, top with basil and parsley if you have them from the garden! Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto

  With the days getting shorter and colder I find myself looking for foods that are warming to the soul.  This is a quick dinner that doesn't call for many ingredients  and at the same time warms you up from the inside!   

5 cups vegetable broth
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups arborio rice
3/4 cup white wine
1 teaspoon Salt
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, for a jar
3 tablespoons homemade pesto, see note below
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup ground parmesan

NOTE: Every year I harvest the basil leaves from my small garden and make pesto, the recipe can be found on this blog...Check it out!  You can always use store bought pesto but you can definitely taste the difference.

Method:

1)  In a medium sauce pan, warm the broth
2)  In a large pot, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat.  Add the onion and cook stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3)  Add the rice to the pot and stir until it begins to turn opaque, about 2 minutes.  Add the wine and salt and cook, constantly stirring, until all the wine has been absorbed.
4)  Add the sun-dried tomatoes and 3/4 cups of the broth, continue to stir until all has been absorbed.  Keep adding broth in this manner until you have used all the broth.  Rice should become tender in 20-25 minutes.
5)  Stir in the pesto, parmesan & pepper and serve at once.

Printable Version

Chaat??? Kind of...Well, not really!

  If you don't know what Chaat is then... I guess I'm not alone.  Chaat is a term that is used to describe snacks that are usually served in stalls or carts, typically, in India!   No, I did't go to India!  I wish!  Instead, over spring break this year our family had gone to Washington D.C.   I ordered Chaat in a restaurant having no idea it was a deep-fried food (my bad).  When I came home I decided I could make a "Healthy" version of Chaat with absolutely nothing bad for you!  In this version I kept the Chickpeas, added a seasonal corn (yum), and opted out of the fried bread and potato pieces.  I also made a Yogurt garnish but decided to take it up a notch and used plain greek yogurt for the extra protein benefit.   So... without further a-due, here is the Scandinavian (a.k.a me) version of Chaat!

Base

1 cup Chickpea's (I used canned organic)

1 teaspoon curry (Use more if you really like the taste of curry)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 small purple onion, diced
1 fresh tomato, diced
1 small cucumber, diced
1 large ear of corn, boiled and cut off of cob
2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped


Probiotic Yogurt Topping (a must)

1 single serving container of plain Greek Yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh dill (I used the dill flower from the garden to decorate:)

Method

1)  Warm the chickpeas on top of the stove on low.  Add the sesame oil, curry, salt and pepper.  Keep warm until you cut up the vegetables.
2)  Place all the other ingredients in the base layer and toss to combine.  Add the chickpeas and sauce to the fresh vegetables and toss to combine.
3) Meanwhile, mix the greek yogurt, honey and fresh dill in a small blender until well combined.
4) If you want you can serve this over rice ( I would make more yogurt topping if you were to do so)
5) Place Chickpea mixture on a plate and top with Yogurt topping, Enjoy!

Cold Cantaloupe Soup

  I genuinely can't imagine anything more refreshing and inviting on a warm day than Cantaloupe Soup.  Not only is this the easiest recipe in the world, but it gives the impression of something much fancier!  It would make a wonderful first course to a meal served outdoors! 
  Here are a few tips in purchasing a Cantaloupe.  First choose cantaloupes that are heavy for their size, smell sweet, and when pressed yield slightly at the end it blossomed. Avoid cantaloupes with soft spots or ones that have a jagged appearance this usually means they were picked when they were not ripe. 
Remember...The cantaloupe soup will only be as good as the cantaloupe!

Ingredients:

1 ripe cantaloupe
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt (you can substitute regular, Greek or rice)

Garnish with a dollop of your choice of yogurt. Then include the optional Mint, Pansy's, Snapdragons... be creative!!!

Method:

Place all ingredients except for the garnish in a blender or Vitamix and serve! So Easy (as salt and pepper...he,he,he!)

Wow!  That was yummy!

Printable Version

Aduki and Black Bean Burgers

What's Aduki you say???  It's just another can of beans you can purchase near the other cans of beans in the store.  It's really not fancy!  They can be spelled azuki, adzuki, or as I found them aduki.  These beans are a small, russet-colored bean with a sweet flavor.  The can I purchased also had Kombu Seaweed in the ingredients but you can't taste any seaweed at all (maybe just another health benefit)!

Ingredients:
1 15oz. can aduki beans, washed and drained
1 15oz. can black beans, washed and drained
1 medium onion, cut in half
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 reconstituted mushrooms, optional
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1/2-3/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup all purpose baking flour (Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil

Toppings:
Sliced green onions, sliced baby tomatoes, sliced avocado, vegan or regular mayo, spinach leaves, parsley leaves, lime juice to squeeze on top.

Method:
1) Place 1/2 can aduki beans, 1/2 onion diced into small chucks, fresh thyme, garlic, reconstituted mushrooms (optional),  1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper into Vitamix blender or high powered mixer and blend.

2) Once blended pour into a bowl and add the rest of the aduki beans, and can of black beans.  Mash with a hand masher just to get well blended (some chucks still visible).
3) Dice the other half of the onion and mix into the bean mixture.  Add almond meal and baking flour (I used gluten free) and make into patties.  The patties will be sticky, if to wet add more almond meal.
4) Place oil in frying pan and heat on medium-high.  Place patties into frying pan, lightly salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned.  (I did patties in batches, placed on a parchment lined pan and put in the oven on 300 to keep warm until I was ready to serve).

Printable Version

Big Day Breakfast...Smoothie

Some mornings the outlook on the day seems so long... it makes you want to jump back into bed!  Or...you can just jump start it with an easy to prepare smoothie that is energy packed!  This one is a wonderful fuel for our bodies because the bananas and sesame seeds provide a perfect fuel in the form of slow-release carbohydrates.  Oh... and did I mention your not compromising taste because with the added mango and orange juice make it refreshing~YUM! 

SERVES 2

1 whole mango, peeled & cored
2 small bananas (By this I mean NOT Costco sized...just regular)
1 large orange, (Juice of)
2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
1 tablespoon honey
4 ice cubes

METHOD

Place all ingredients in Vita-mix blender.  I juiced the orange with a little hand-operated citrus squeezer and used all the pulp (Pictured below). ENJOY!



Carrot Curry Soup with Orange Liqueur

Today is another COLD day in Minnesota.  Why do I live here?  Really, the summers are so short with mosquitoes the size of my thumb, this is crazy!  So, here is a soup to help me get through another month of COLD.  We need something to warm up our insides!

2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1 Medium Yellow Onion, cut into pieces
6 Carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
1 large green apple, peeled and cut into pieces
1 teaspoon Curry Powder
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons Orange Liqueur
2 cups Vegetable broth

Method

1) Heat Olive oil in a pan that can contain all ingredients.  Add the onions and carrots and saute until onions are a warm yellow color, 6-8 minutes.
2) Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup Orange liqueur and add the broth immediately. 
3) Add the apple and curry and continue to cook until the carrots have softened. 
4) Take the ingredients from your pan and blend in a blender, add the last 3 tablespoons of Orange Liqueur at this time.

Serves 2 

Pumpkin Soup

I had another pumpkin just sitting out in the front waiting for me to do something with it!  So tonight I made a pumpkin soup!  I also baked the seeds for extra toppings!

1 medium pumpkin, seeded, peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks

1 medium onion, diced

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup cognac
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1) Boil cubed pumpkin in water until soft.  Drain and place in batches in Cuisinart and blend, set aside.

2) Next, saute onion in pan until transparent and add to the Cuisinart and blend with the pumpkin.  Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper.

3) Take the cognac and deglaze the pan you sauteed the onion in, cooking liquid down to 1 tablespoon then add to the pumpkin mixture.

4) Pour all the pumpkin back into the initial pan you boiled the pumpkin in and set on a low temperature adding the milk in at this time.  Adjust spices and warm to desired temperature before serving.  Serves 4.

For Serving:  I placed a little whipped cream in the center and dusted with cinnamon the children thought they were getting a dessert for dinner:)

Fusilli with Bell Peppers and Onions

Oh...this is so.... good!  Yet another vegetarian meal that is easy and budget conscious! Remember, if you have wheat allergies try a rice pasta.  They are surprisingly good! 

3 red and yellow peppers
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound pasta (I used Fusilli)
3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste
Grate Parmesan cheese on top to serve

Method

1) Place the bell peppers in a broiler until they are blackened.  Remove and put in a plastic bag for 5 to 7 minutes. 
2) Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onion.  Cook until softened but not brown, 5-8 minutes. Place the garlic in and stir to mix together.
3) Return back to the bell peppers.  Take them out of the plastic bag, peel them and cut then into thin strips and add them to the onion mixture.
4) Meanwhile, have a pot of boiling water for the pasta.  Cook according to the directions on the box.  Before draining take 1/4 cup of the pasta water and mix into the onion and bell pepper mixture.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper, add parsley then mix in the drained pasta.  Before serving add as much grated Parmesan as you like.  Enjoy!

Bow Ties with Tomatoes, Black Olives, Garlic, and Feta Cheese

Can you believe tonight I made a dinner and never took a picture?  Well, I did!  I totally forgot!  Just too much going on!  Anyway, this is a very good dish if you like olives:)

2 large tomatoes
3/4 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons capers
3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1 lb. bow tie pasta
6 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1) In a bowl combine, tomatoes, olives, feta, capers, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
2) Boil water on stove top and cook pasta according to directions on box. Drain.
3) In a medium frying pan heat olive oil and cook garlic for 1 minute or so. Add the cooked pasta and tomato mixture to the garlic oil and serve immediately.

Broccoli Florets with Bow Tie Pasta

Needed a quick inexpensive meal tonight so I looked in the refrigerator and found broccoli and pine nuts.  Opened up the cupboard and found bow tie pasta.  This will be quick and easy!

1 bag broccoli
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons earth balance butter
1 box of pasta (I used bow ties)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

1) Boil water in 2 separate pots and add salt when water begins to boil.  In one pot put the pasta and boil according to the directions on the box.  In the other pot put the broccoli and boil until done 5 minutes, don't allow to get over cooked. 
2) Meanwhile, place pine nuts in 350 degree oven on a piece of foil until they become light brown in color, around 3 minutes.
3) Lastly, drain both pasta and broccoli and place in serving bowl add garlic, butter and Parmesan cheese. Salt and Pepper to taste and serve at once.

   

Risotto with Pesto and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Yesterday I made basil pesto and froze it in ice cube trays.  I briefly explained how I use pesto in  many different recipes.  So today, I wanted to back up my claim and give you a reason to make some pesto of your own.  Here is one of those delicious recipes using basil pesto, enjoy!

5 cups warm chicken or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped
1/2 cup dry sherry (Sweeter taste) or white wine, (dryer taste) either will do!
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes with juice, diced(I purchase from Costco, keeps in refrigerator well)
3 cubes (tablespoons) pesto (I use right from the freezer)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1) Place olive oil in a medium sauce pan and add the onion.  Saute onion until it begins to turn translucent and add rice.  Stir constantly until the rice begins to turn opaque, about 3 minutes.  Then immediately add the wine or dry sherry (NOT both choose one)!


The rice and pesto I used!

 Onions and Rice just starting to cook, notice the amount of liquid!

2) Next, add the sun dried tomatoes and 1/2 cup of broth at a time.  Allow the broth to be completely absorbed  before adding another 1/2 cup and always remember to keep stirring (You don't want all the rice to stick to the bottom of the pan).  Cook the rice this way for 25 minutes or so.  The rice is finished when it is still firm to the bite, but not hard.  You might not need all the broth or you might need to add a little water, it just depends on how high of a temperature you are cooking the rice.

I used this broth!

3) When you think the rice is just about done add the pesto, Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with a side salad!

Risotto and side salad, yum!